Shoreline Planning

Shoreline Master Program Update, November 2013

Lake Ballinger, a treasured community resource, is the center-piece of Mountlake Terrace’s Shoreline Management Plan. The Plan guides how the shoreline and uplands is developed and managed and is due to be updated soon. Under the Shoreline Management Act, each city and county with "Shorelines of the State" must adopt a shoreline master plan. The plan is to be based on state laws and rules, but tailored to the specific geographic, economic and environmental needs of the community. The only shoreline in Mountlake Terrace that is a shoreline of the state is on Lake Ballinger.

The existing plan was last updated in 1993. In 2003, the state adopted new program guidelines. The City has until December 2011 to develop and adopt a shoreline master program that reflects the new guideline lines and regulations. A shoreline master plan is essentially a comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance with a distinct environmental orientation that reflects our City’s shoreline areas and local circumstances. Shoreline Master Plan Process.